23. Andy
ANDY
Everette Bank and Trust is quiet when Jedd and I step through the doors. Which makes sense considering it’s the middle of the day.
“Jedd. Andy,” Mr. Harding calls from his office. He stands and makes his way around the desk to greet us as we walk through the lobby. “Come this way,” he says with a face-splitting smile.
I wasn’t lying when I told Jedd I don’t care who sees us together, but the fact that everyone is taking it so well makes me wonder how bad we were at hiding our feelings for each other over the years.
We step into Mr. Harding’s office and take a seat in front of his desk while he sits behind it and clasps his hands together.
“I just want to take a moment to congratulate the two of you. Sue was so surprised and excited to hear the two of you tied the knot.”
I swear, if his smile gets any bigger the rest of his facial features are going to be swallowed whole.
Jedd grins. “Thank you, sir.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why the rush? I don’t think anyone in town even knew the two of you were together.”
Jedd’s smile slips a little and he glances at me. “Yeah, we kept it pretty quiet. You know how the gossip can be in this town,” he says.
“Fair enough.” Mr. Harding turns to me. “Sue is dying to hear the details of the whole event. Prepare yourself for that when she comes in for her next appointment. She wants to know how he proposed, how the wedding was … just all of it.”
I swallow hard and nod.
I’ll think of something.
I mean, it’s not like I can tell them the truth, that Jedd offered to marry me for the custody case and that he and I—us together—is new to me as well.
“I look forward to it,” I say with what I hope is a dreamy newlywed look on my face.
“Okay. Well, let’s get to it. This should be fast. Andy, thank you for sending over your documents ahead of time. I went ahead and drafted most of the loan application prior to your arrival.”
He swivels the computer screen toward us, and the page is filled with our application details.
“Okay. Here you have the total loan amount with our current rates. The estimated monthly payment along with the total interest you’ll pay over the life of the loan.
I’ll email over the loan disclosures for you.
” He walks us through each step of the application, the terms and the timeline for everything, and then has us sign on a digital pad in front of his desk before he submits it.
“We’ll get to work on this, but I don’t see any problems. When we get everything squared away on our end, I’ll call you in and we can process the funding. I assume you’re going to want this in your business account?”
Jedd nods.
“Have you two thought about a honeymoon? Sue and I went to California for a week. We had all these grand plans to go deep sea fishing, and hiking …” He chuckles lightly. “Most of that didn’t happen. We didn’t leave our rental for the first three days at least.”
Jedd and I make eye contact in shock, and his expression quickly turns to pleading.
What the hell does he expect me to say to that little over share? I’m not the smooth charming one of the two of us.
“That sounds … lovely. I’m sure you two had a great time. We haven’t thought about a honeymoon yet, not with everything going on.” I stand. “Well, we’re due back at work.” Jedd stands with me, and we murmur goodbyes before we make a break for it.
I think we make it back to the garage by sheer willpower before the two of us are doubled over laughing our asses off.
“Oh my god. Did you see your face?” I wheeze out. I hold my hands up in a circle. “Your eyes got this big.”
His laughter dies down. “There are things that I don’t need to know about people, and that’s one of them.”
I laugh again. “To be fair, he and Sue have been married longer than either of us have been alive. It makes sense the attraction is still there.”
“Andy,” he says warningly.
“What? Passion is important in marriage.” I snicker.
“I’m warning you.”
His tone sends a shiver over me. Bossy Jedd is one of my favorite versions of him.
“Or what?” I taunt. “What’re you gonna do?”
A wicked gleam enters his eyes. He pulls his phone out of his pocket before looking at the screen.
What in the world is he checking his phone for? Am I not obvious enough in coming on to him?
“Yep. Enough time.” Before I can blink he throws me over his shoulder. “You don’t have any other clients today, right?” His hand dips into my skirt pocket and fishes around for my phone.
My hair falls over my head and into my face when I try to brace my hands on his lower back and push up.
“What are you doing?!” I say, laughing though I’m trying to keep my tone stern.
“Yep, no more clients.” His hand falls to my ass in a thumping slap, and I wiggle like my life depends on it even as I clamp a hand on my skirt to keep from showing off my panties to all of Everette.
“Jedidiah Calhoun, you put me down this instant.”
I yelp when he bites my hip and strides around the back of the shop to the stairs that lead to his apartment.
Desire sparks, coursing through me with each step, and I grin as he stomps up the steps. The air is a little stale, probably since he’s been staying at the cottage with me since we got married, only coming back to grab clothes. We were planning to pack up some of his stuff tonight after dinner.
I startle when his hand slips under my skirt, before he palms my lace-covered ass. “Jedd. Seriously, put me down before you drop me.”
“I’m not gonna drop you, Mischief.”
But he still pulls me down to stand in front of him, and I sway slightly once all the blood rushes out of my head. Before I can catch my bearings, his lips are on mine in a devouring kiss.
God, he tastes good. I get lost in the kiss until we’re pushing and pulling each other toward the couch.
I break the kiss long enough to suck air into my starved lungs.
That muscle in his jaw is dancing as he gazes at me with unveiled desire, and my core clenches. Liquid heat begins to build in my center the longer he looks at me.
“This fucking skirt is a menace.” His hands trace up my exposed thighs before fisting in the flouncy material.
Inwardly, I smile. It’s getting colder and colder, and there are only so many skirt days left in the year.
Did I think about how Jedd might react to the material that is just barely long enough to be work appropriate?
Absolutely.
And as far as I’m concerned, this skirt is my new favorite.
Smashing success.
Would recommend for driving your man out of his mind, ten out of ten.
Toying with Jedd and flirting with the line that pushes him over the edge gives me a whole new arsenal to fuck with him with.
And I’m not mad about it.
“You feel so fucking good.” He punctuates the statement with a sucking kiss to my neck, and I shiver.
Trailing touches climb the length of my leg, his hand dipping briefly into the crease of my thigh before going higher, past the waist of my skirt, until finally, he slips his hand under my shirt. The warmth of his hand is a shock on my cooler skin. The rasp of his calluses delicious.
“Mmm.” A breathy whimper is out before I can stop it. This is what he does to me—he makes me lose all thought process and all I can do is feel, be, and experience under his touch.
His hand climbs higher until he’s cupping the underside of my breast, thumb dancing erotically over my nipple where it pebbles against the lining of my bra.
“Jedd,” I gasp, my breath backing up.
“I cannot get enough of you. Now that I don’t have to hold back …” The words are a threat and a promise that I feel down to the marrow of my bones.
“You’re right,” I say, turning more fully in his arms. I reach into my waistband and strip the material down my thighs. “This skirt is a menace. I should take it off.”
“Jesus god, Andy.” The guttural hunger in his voice makes my knees shake and obliterates any thoughts that aren’t about Jedd.
“As a matter of fact, this shirt needs to go too.” I whip the material over my head.
His mouth hangs open as he stares at me.
“You’re not the only one who doesn’t have to hold back anymore,” I taunt.
Jedd has a mouth made for kissing. Plump lips, mostly hidden by his beard sear mine as he tugs me closer for a better taste. My nipples pebble against my bra as an ache ignites in my core. I slide my hands over his shoulders before wrapping my arms around his neck, touching him as much as I’m able.
One of his hands grips the crease where my thigh meets my ass, and I gasp at the rough sensation of his skin on mine.
Jedd breaks the kiss, his hazel eyes dark with lust.
“What does that mean?” he asks, the words nearly whispered between us.
I faintly shake my head, trying to jog loose some of the braincells needed to answer him from their drunken induced fog of desire.
There are so many things I could say.
“That means I get to show you. Show you that this is me wanting you.” It’s not everything I want to say, but it’s everything I want to show him—give him—if he’ll let me.
Words are easy. The little explanations, excuses, and platitudes we offer others without a single thought are simple.
But Jedd and I aren’t simple. Never have been. And I’m just starting to see how much we were hiding behind simplicity when we were anything but.
I lift onto my toes and fasten my mouth to his again. The scratch of his beard against my face is a sensation I didn’t know I was missing. His strangled groan is the anthem of us desiring each other—and depriving ourselves for years.
I reach under his shirt, feeling the strength of his torso against my fingers before I slide the garment up and tug it off. His chest is warm under my seeking touch, the light dusting of hair on his pecs a rasp against my palms.
I step closer, needing to eradicate the space between us.
The button on his jeans opens with a flick, allowing me to cup the heavy hard weight of him through the denim for a moment before I shove the denim down his legs.